Spinning top



Sept. 9, 1 941 F. H. c. RUST 2,255,454

SPINNING TOP Filed July 19, 1939 Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNIT ED STAT ES PATENT OF F I CE SPINNING TOP Frank C. Rust, Charlotte, N. 0. Application July 1 9,- 1939, Serial No. 285,427

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in simple spinning toys, so-called tops, and to effect reduction in friction, improvement in balance, and particularly to evolve a novel ball bearing adapted for assembly in such tops, especially those made of wood, "although it is also applicable to metal tops and tops of other material.

While the element of friction has not generally been seriously considered in the ordinary topshaped like an inverted cone, which is spun by the wrapping of a string around its coneshapedlower part and then throwing it upon the ground at a distance while the end of the string is retained in the hand of the thrower, there are, nevertheless, certain elements which involve retardance, including the friction of the point upon the ground; improper distribution of mass tending to impair the effective balance of the top when thrown and while spinning; insecurity of the metal point customarily inserted in wooden or peg tops to limit wear of their points; lack of balance of forces of inertia involved as the top" is thrown and in reactance upon the string held by the thrower; friction of the point upon the ground, and other causes.

It is an important object of this invention to remedy or lessen these deficiencies and objections by the invention herein disclosed, and to attain certain novel advantages not. heretofore sought, as will appear hereinafter.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement andv combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is-a perspective view of a top embodying my invention as viewed partly from below.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, on the major axis of the top.

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the top showing the several parts in perspective.

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

There is illustrated a top consisting of a wooden body [0, which may conform to usual practices in wooden tops, although I prefer to slightly extend the upper portion as compared to the common form of peg top for kinetic functions and to also utilize it for other purposes, as will be explained. Thus the body includes a lower portion II which is conical as at H, for the major part of its height from the lower part upward, being circular in cross section and its surface curving inward slightly at its upper part to a verticaltangent at a plane midway of the body I0, as at I2. This curve has its center in that plane between the periphery of the body and its vertical axis, and is continued above the said plane a short distance, terminating in an upper conical surface 13 of greater projected altitude. The upper part M of the body above said plate is substantially frusto-conical, although a deep horizontal groove [5 is formed very near the top, the body surface l6 being curved into this groove at the lower side of the groove, while the surface of the body from the upper edge of the groove upward is rounded, as at IT. The groove issuffi'ciently wide vertically to permit the trapof air therewithin during rotation and thus act to impart stability to the top duringv rotation. However, the groove also permits the winding and retension of a sufiicient length of cord to spin the top, and may be utilized for maintaining the spinning of the top with a whip, and for other purposes including braking and lifting the top by tightening a loop of cord around the body within the groove, while the ends of the cord are held in the hands of the user. The material of the body above the groove is just sufficient to provide a moderately thick wall at the upper side of the groove. The body is formed with a slight enlargement or shoulder ill at its lowest part, and the material of the body is continuedbeyond this only a sufficient distance to afford the necessary support to the shoulder as will be understood.

The body It is not extended to the small radius customary in wooden peg tops hereto-fore, but is axially bored at H! to a substantial size and the lower and outer part of the bore terminates in a large circular recess 20 of considerably greater diameter, in the bottom of the body 10 stopping short of the shoulder l8' sufficiently to leave adequate material for the shoulder, and extending longitudinally into the body It a substantial distance above the junction of this shoulder and the conical face ll of the body, so as to afford a good supporting body for a race element to-be described.

The body as described is readily adapted to be produced mainly by automatic wood-turning machines at extremely low cost, in accordance with familiar practice heretofore followed in production of peg tops.

An anti-friction assembly unit 2| formed of steel is set in the lower part ofthe body l0, and is also adapted to be set in wooden top or metal bodies of various forms and constructions, other than that here shown.

The anti-friction unit 2! comprises a bearing sleeve 22 and race member 23 formed integrally therewith, the sleeve having a driven fit in the bore I9, while the race 23 is set tightly in the recess 28. The race 23 consists of an enlargement of the sleeve 22 at right angles to the axis of the sleeve, and its interior is also formed with a race-way consisting of the upper planiform face 25 at right angles to the axis of the sleeve, and a cylindrical wall 25, the altitude of which is slightly less than the radius of the face 24. The recess 23 is of such depth that the wall 25 terminates just at the termination of the lower part of the material of the body IS without the recess, or thereadiacent.

Set in the bushing sleeve 22 there is a freely revoluble pin 26 having an enlargement or head 2! at its lower outer end, this head being formed with an annular fiat table face 28 on its upper side, and a set of ball bearings 29 are set in the race 23 confined by the table face 28 against the face 24. The inner end of the pin 26 projects slightly above the inner end of the bushing sleeve 22, the bore I9 being also extended still further, and in a groove 33 on the inner projecting end of the pin there is engaged a contractile C-spring 3|, by which the pin and bushing are held in proper assembled relation retaining the ball bearings.

The head 27 is formed with a concentric hearing socket 32 in its outer part in which there is loosely fitted a large ball 33 which forms the ground-engaging point element of the top. The walls of the socket are extended below a diametrical plane of the ball, and upset inwardly sufficiently to retain the ball loosely as indicated. A coaxial bore 34 is formed in the pin 26, opening from the recess 32 and extending for the major part of the length of the pin, stopping short of the upper end with a plane terminal face. In this bore there are set a multiplicity of balls 35, smaller than the ball 33, loosely fitted in the bore. The length of the bore 34, and the size of the balls 35 is such that the balls are confined between the ball 33 and the inner face of the bore While the ball 33 is still clear of the inner upper surfaces of the socket 32, thus enabling the ball 33 to rotate with great freedom on the longitudinal axis of the top, and also on horizontal axes, or axes with both vertical and horizontal components. This multiplication of the balls 35 has the further object of providing a means for absorbing the severe shocks when the top is thrown point down upon a hard surfaced pavement, as well as affording a certain freedom of relative rotation of the balls in various directions, by which the rotation of the ball 33 on a horizontal axis may be converted into complex movements and friction minimized. That is to say, if. the ball 33 rotates on a horizontal axis, this will be transmitted to the first ball 35, which will tend to rotate in the opposite direction also on a horizontal axis, and if the remaining balls were exactly alined the transmission of motion would continue the same way more or less until friction of the last ball against the end of the bore would have to be overcome. However, owing to vibrations in the assembly there will be lessening of pressure between the balls by which opposition to relative movement between them will be reduced, and also elastic recoveries of positions effected by which some further increment of advantage is gained. However, it will be appreciated that for the free movement of the balls, there must be a certain looseness of the balls in the bore 34, and consequently they will not be exactly retained on a common longitudinal axis and contact between various pairs of adjacent balls will be more or less 01f center in different directions. It will be appreciated also, that under mere longitudinal compression in the bore 34, the balls 35 may be rotated on a longitudinal axis with comparatively slight friction. Consequently when the first ball rotates on a horizontal axis, if it bears on the next upper ball at one side of the longitudinal axis of the series, a certain element of, if not all of the motion transmitted to the next upper ball will be on rotation on a longitudinal axis, and when this effect has been multiplied through a series of the balls, there will finally be simple rotation on the longitudinal axis of the pin by which little resistance is developed.

The elasticity of steel balls is well understood, and by the transmission of shock through the series, each ball functioning by its inherent elasticity both in receiving and in transmitting force to those next adjacent, a material absorption of shock is attained.

The balls 29 also function eifectively between the head 21 and race 23 to reduce friction between the rotating body of the top and the ground, and in partly absorbing and partly transmitting severe lateral shocks incident to engagement of the ball 33 initially with the ground in directions at an angle'to the longitudinal axis of the top. These lateral stresses are sustained first by the ball 35, which in turn transmits them to the sides of the socket 32 and head 21. From the latter such lateral stresses are then transmitted by the base portion of the stem 26 to the balls 29 by which a certain amount of shock is absorbed both in receiving the pressure of the stem and in transmitting it to the wall 25 of the race 23. The latter together with the bushing sleeve 22 then communicates the lateral forces to the body H] of the top with such wide distribution that there is a minimum liability of splitting the body l0. 1

.In the use of such top, the cord 36 is laid against the side of the body If], and wound thereon, beginning at the shoulder 18 and winding it against the conical surface of the body in a single layer of cord. The top is then grasped by the user in one of the ways familiar in the spinning of tops, and thrown point first upon the ground, the string being retained in the hand by which the top is. thrown so as to cause it to spin rapidly as it moves through the air. Upon striking the ground, the top will then be rotating sufficiently fast to establish the gyroscopic effect by which it is retained in erect position or other axis established, according to how the top was thrown. The neat equilibrium between the top and bottom parts of the top body are material factors in enabling a more effective and certain spinning of the top on each throw. The construction presented enables a very effective walking action of the top when spinning, and the provision of the upper body portion above the plane A-A, and the enlargement of the head 21, race-way and ball bearings minimize the disturbance of the axis of the top by the final pull of the cord on the lower portion of the top before it strikes the ground.

It may be noted that the design of the antifriction unit is such thatthe center of the ball 35 is approximately at the apex of the projection of the cone H.

There is a novel advantage involved in the functioning of the table bearing face 28 with the race-way 23, consisting in its capacity to throw out dirt and other particles which may gain access to the race-way, either by rotation of the top body, race-way and balls 29, or by rotation of the pin and head, which at times may occur either in the same or the opposite direction from that in which the top body is rotated. Rotation of the head 21 may occur from various causes, but in one instance may be caused by translative movement of the top while disposed on an inclined axis, the plane of inclination being at an angle to the direction of translative movement, while the ball 33 rests on a supporting surface. The ball 33 being at this time pressed against the side of the socket, and being engaged with the supporting surface laterally of the longitudinal axis of the top, it will be rotated around that axis, although not rotated in a plane at right angles thereto, necessarily, and will thereby rotate the head 2? on the axis of the pin.

My top has certain advantages recognized by top spinners, among which is its capacity for walking; and by the use of the groove I5 for being lifted from the ground while spinning without the use of the hand directly, but by engaging a cord loop therearound within the groove; and also for braking by drawing the ends of the loop apart so as to tighten the loop within the groove; for playing tricks by laying the cord in one side of the groove so that the top will walk along the cord, or by forming a loop in the groove in such manner that the cord will be taken up at one side of the top and paid out at the other side, effecting movement of the top with rapidity corresponding to the friction of the loop in the groove, and otherwise.

While I have described the construction of the invention with great particularity, it will be understood that this is exemplary, and that various modifications of construction and arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim, wherein,

I claim:

A spinning top comprising a conical body having a coaxial bore extended thereinto from the projected apex of the cone, and having a concentric enlarged recess formed at the lower part of the bore within and forming the termination of the conical portion of the body, a sleeve fixed in the bore and having a raceway fitted within the recess, a pin revoluble in the sleeve having an enlarged head at its outer part underlying and closing the raceway, balls confined between the head and raceway, a concentric socket being formed in the lower side of the head, a large ball revoluble therein, the pin having a bore formed therein extending from the socket and stopping short of the opposite end of the pin, ball bearing means in the last named bore operatively engaged between the inner end of the bore and said large ball, and said conical body having a deep vertically wide circumscribing groove adapted to impart stability to the top during rotation thereof.

FRANK H. C. RUST. 

